Bromo Fire: Public Urged Not to Use Fire in Forest Areas

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni inspected firefighting operations at Mount Bromo, Probolinggo, East Java, on Sunday (9/8/2026). He called on the public to actively participate in preventing forest and land fires (karhutla).

One of the crucial measures emphasised was minimising the use of fire when carrying out activities in forest areas, especially amid extreme weather conditions.

“At the same time, the public should participate in helping to resolve this problem (karhutla), and most importantly, there should be no more playing with fire, whether it is cigarettes or, even more recklessly, land clearing, especially outside Java,” said Raja Juli Antoni.

The minister explained that this year’s dry season is accompanied by the El Niño phenomenon, which significantly increases the risk of forest and land fires. The government has taken proactive steps in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives to face the peak of the dry season, which falls in August.

He mentioned that on 28 July, cross-ministerial and institutional coordination was carried out, involving the TNI Commander, the National Police Chief, BMKG, and BNPB. “This means the government is going all out to anticipate El Niño,” he stressed.

East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elestianto Dardak, who accompanied the minister, stated that the handling of the Mount Bromo fire prioritises collaboration between regional and central governments. Currently, firefighting efforts are focused on the Pasuruan area using the water bombing method.

“There is one additional hotspot, an expansion from the initial point. At Penanjakan, the focus was water bombing; now another has emerged in the Pasuruan area, called Dingklik,” Emil explained.

The government has ensured that the entire handling process is carried out comprehensively so that the hotspots can be fully extinguished as soon as possible to prevent wider ecosystem damage in the national park area.